EDITOR'S CHOICE -- SCOTT SUTTELL

Michigan's approval of 'right-to-work' could impact Ohio

Organized labor's big loss in Michigan could change the dynamic in Ohio.

Reuters says Michigan “is about to get a second look from corporate America” after approving “right to work” legislation that prohibits union membership as a condition of employment.

"We're going to see some major investments in Michigan over the next two to three years," says Neil De Koker, the head of Troy, Mich.-based trade group the Original Equipment Suppliers Association, which represents auto component makers.

Reuters reports that supporters of right-to-work “said it tempers industry fears of dealing with the United Auto Workers union and makes Michigan more competitive against neighboring industrial states such as Ohio, which does not have such a law.”

Steve Bernstein, a Michigan labor lawyer, tells Reuters, "If we're going to compete with states like Ohio, maybe they're saying, well, this is an ace in the hole for us."

Ohio voters in 2011 overwhelmingly rejected a sweeping law that placed restrictions on public employee unions. Republican Gov. John Kasich says making Ohio a right-to-work state is not among his priorities and that he sees other ways to keep the state competitive. However, a group called Ohioans for Workplace Freedom has been circulating petitions for a ballot measure that would keep workers covered by labor contracts from having to join a union or pay dues.

“The GOP in Michigan took lessons from previous fights over the rights of unionized workers,” The Journal says. “The Michigan measure carves out an exception for police and firefighters, key groups that had opposed the elimination of most collective-bargaining rights for public employees in Ohio when they were targeted.”

Gary Chaison, a professor of industrial relations at Clark University in Worcester, Mass., tells the newspaper, “When they carve out the police and firefighters, it probably reduces the public opposition to the legislation by 50%.”

Very true, even though that drives me crazy. If you think right-to-work is an important concept, fine, but don't carve out exemptions for certain people just because you don't want to make them mad at election time.

A matter of trust

The Wall Street Journal's editorial page lauds tort reform efforts in Ohio, which it says is “poised to become the first in the nation to clamp down on the abuse of asbestos bankruptcy trusts.”

The state Legislature “is trying to end this racket by requiring asbestos plaintiffs to file any trust claims before proceeding to trial,” the newspaper notes. “They must then identify to the courts any claims to trusts they have made, including the basis of their alleged injury.” (The House passed the reform bill earlier this year, and the Senate approved a version last week. Gov. John Kasich says he'll sign it.)

The tort bar “is responding as usual by claiming that victims will lose their day in court,” The Journal notes. “But any plaintiff can still file a claim with any trust and take part in any lawsuit. The only change is greater transparency about the claim and injury. To the extent that this reform reduces the number of fraudulent claims that deplete trust funds, it will preserve trust assets for legitimate victims. And it will save jobs at companies that will be spared a frivolous, double-dip lawsuit.”

The play's the thing

American arts organizations have two main holiday traditions: “The Nutcracker,” for ballets, and “A Christmas Carol,” for theater companies of all sizes.

Forbes.com takes a look at how the Charles Dickens classic has become a centerpiece at American theater companies. The bottom line: The productions are so popular that they fund the theater companies' budgets “well beyond the holidays.”

Chicago's Goodman Theatre has performed “A Christmas Carol” at the holidays for 35 straight years, the longest run in the United States, Forbes.com says. The newspaper compiles a list of the 19 longest-running “Christmas Carol” productions nationwide, and Cleveland's Great Lakes Theater Festival is at No. 6, having performed the show for 24 years.

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